Week 12 - Finished Film due; Get Ready For Industry Day; After Effects Q&A

As usual we have a really busy week in BA Animation.

Milestone 5 is probably the biggest event this week. That means that your finished film is due to your Mentor for grading purposes. Talk to your mentor about exact date & time s/he is expecting it.

We have several events happening during the Wednesday lecture, starting with Chris Walsh's talk on Festival and Distribution Options for Independent Filmmakers. 

Following Chris, Tony Tarantini will give you some important information to Prepare Yourselves for Industry Day. 

That will lead into the annual Industry Day Desk Assignment. This is your chance to choose a good location in the Learning Commons area, where our Industry Day guests will meet with you after the screening. (My advice: pick a desk near the food!)

If there's any time left after all of this, we'll continue our screening of the 2014 Oscar Nominees for Animated Short Film with Possessions  by Japanese animator Shuhei Morita.

The Wednesday workshop is host to Adobe Systems' Colin Smith, resident expert on After Effects & Premiere Pro.  Is After Effects driving you nuts? Is Premiere just not behaving itself? Bring your problems to A150 to challenge Colin. He's pretty clever at coming up with solutions. Just once though I'd like to see him stumped. Let's see if we can do it. Wednesday , 2-4 pm, A150.

Industry Day Advice from Coordinator Mark Mayerson

As I'm not involved with 4th year this year, I thought I'd send out some thoughts you might keep in mind over the next few weeks.


Don't think of industry day as the grand climax of your life so far. Think of it as the first day of your job hunt.  It's important to keepyour expectations realistic.  Even if you get hired immediately, itwill not be the last time you're looking for a job.


Some of the studios present will be looking to hire.  Some will belooking for potential employees for future projects, but can't hireyet.  Some will be there merely as a day off from work and the chance to see other industry people.


Your goal when talking to industry people is to be pleasant and to ask a lot of questions.  Ask what their studio is doing.  Ask about software.

Remain open to possibilities.  If they ask what you want to do, tellthem but say that you're open to other tasks.  They may havesomething in mind for you that you haven't considered and youdon't want to discourage them.


Have an image from your film on your business card.  They won't remember your name and possibly not your face, but they'll remember your film. The card may also end up in the hands of someone who didn't come to industry day.  In that case, it's going to be the art that gets them interested. Make sure that your name and contact information is on the card.  Include a link to your work.


Make sure that the link leads to a portfolio and/or reel.  Don't have it go to a tumblr or blog where they have to dig to see examples of your work. Make it easy for them to find your portfolio/reel.  


Always lead with your best work.  If they're not interested after seeing your best work, there's no way you'd get the job.  But if you don't lead with your best work and they stop looking before they get to it, you may have lost an opportunity.  As someone who has hired artists in the past, I'll tell you that I didn't have time to waste.  Often, I could judge a reel in just 15 seconds or a portfolio with just two or three images.  Make sure that in that time, they're seeing your best work.


A job offer isn't an offer unless they've given you a firm start date and a financial offer.  Studios often string people along because they're waiting for a project to come in and may need to hire, but don't confuse an expression of interest with a firm job offer.


Take the first job you're offered.  It immediately separates you from the pack of graduates from this and other schools who haven't been hired.  Your first job will put something real on your resume and increase your professional network. That's a kind of credibility that only comes from working.


You may not get hired at the studio you want to work at or may not be hiredto do the job you aspire to.  Don't panic.  You've got 40 years to get whereyou want to be and at the start of your career, every job is educational.  At themoment, you don't know what you don't know.  Working any job in animation will begin to remedy that.


Just like a jug of milk or a loaf of bread has a "best before" date, so do you. Your "best before" date is one year after you graduate.  If you haven't been hired at that point, there's a new group of graduates whose skills are fresher than yours and who don't have to explain why they haven't been able to find a job in a year.  This is why it is so important to get into the industry as quickly as you can and why I say to take the first job that's offered.


The day after industry day, some studios will interview on campus.  If you are interviewed by multiple studios, be happy even if it doesn't result in a job.  It means that your work is professional enough to attract a studio's interest.  If you receive no interviews, it means that your work is not considered professional.  This is not a hopeless situation, but it is a serious one.  Continue to develop your work so that you can interest a studio in your work.


If you are able to relocate for a job, do it.  Studios in out of the way places often have trouble finding people, which is why they are more open to recent graduates.  You can work your way back to the location of your choice after you have some experience and are more valuable as a result.


After you leave the college, keep checking canadiananimationresources.caand awn.com for possible jobs.  If you know students from previous years who are working, keep in touch with them as they'll give you the inside information as to what's happening at their studios.  Stay in touch with people from your own year as well.  If you're working and know that your studio is looking, spread the word.  Someone will return the favour in the future.


If a studio rejects you, there's nothing wrong with approaching them a month later as the employment situation is constantlyshifting due to new projects or deadline crunches.  It's best to have new work to show each time you approach a studio.  This tells them that you are continuing to develop your skills and not just sitting at home killing time. If you keep going back to them with the same portfolio, you are wasting their time and not helping your chances.


Persistence pays off.  It's easy to get discouraged, but the people who succeed are the ones who get past being discouraged and continue to look for work. The more studios and people you are in touch with, the better your chances. It may take weeks or months, but it won't happen at all if you stop looking.


Good luck to everyone.  


Regards,

Mark

U of T Recording Session this Weekend!

The U of T Film Composing class holds their final recording session this weekend. That means this is the last chance to ask your composer for changes to your score.

This recording session is typically used for adding some live instruments ("sweeteners") to the synthesizer demo you received at mid-term.

Email them tonight or tomorrow, and be very specific. Only small changes are possible at this stage, so there's no point in asking them to rewrite the music overnight!

If your musical collaboration has been going along smoothly, expect a new (and final) version of your soundtrack sometime next week.

I've heard some great soundtrack work on your films this semester, and I hope to hear more in the final versions next week. Please send me with a copy when you receive it, and feel free to email me with any questions or concerns.

Wednesday's Events - What is Transmedia? and Sound Mixing Workshop

Our guest lecture this week is by none other than our own Jason Thompson, speaking on a subject dear to his heart. What is Transmedia and Why it Matters to You will fill you in on the latest developments in the world of media. S235 at 11 AM.

This lecture will be preceded by a screening of some of the Oscar nominees for Short Animated Film, including the Oscar winner, Mr. Hublot.

---------------------
In the afternoon workshop, bring your sound effects and music work to A150 for a session with sound designer and composer Tony Tosti, who will answer your questions about choosing the best sound effects, creating audio special effects, balancing the music with other sounds, and transferring your work from Premiere Pro to Adobe Audition for a more professional sound job.   Lab A150 at 2 pm.

WELCOME TO PHILADELPHIA!

Animation, hockey, and 1970's haircuts - what's not to love?

Check out this one-page online comic. It uses (very) limited animation in a very effective way to tell the story behind the infamous 1976 USA-Russia Hockey game.

http://victoryjournal.com/stories/hockey-story

REMINDER: Open Portfolio Review with Mercury Filmworks - today at 2 pm!

Ottawa's Mercury Filmworks will visit Sheridan College today (Monday March 17.)  In A360 at 2 pm today, they will review the portfolio work of the following students:

2:00 Yacheng Guo
2:20 Miranda Quesnel
2:40 Yue Moon Li
3:00 Alex Henderson
3:20 Jordan Shereck
3:40 Isabella Tse
4:00 Gary Ye
4:20 Annie Zhang
4:40 Ailin Liu

All 4th Year students are invited to watch and listen to this open portfolio review. Please be considerate of others when you enter or leave A360 during the session. 

Note that Mercury Filmworks will return on Industry Day and are likely planning to conduct more focused job interviews, based on the screening of your film, at that time.

Unimagined Friends -- Fantastic Student Group Film from VIA in Denmark

Courtesy of Kaj Pindal, this is a group film from the Animation school in Denmark where he also teaches. Well written, acted, designed and animated, this film should be an inspiration to all of you:

Hi-Res version here: https://vimeo.com/85147506

Open Portfolio Review with Mercury Filmworks

Ottawa's Mercury Filmworks will visit Sheridan College on Monday March 17, and we have scheduled two events that you might wish to attend.

(1) The first event is a lecture by Mercury's VP of Production,  Marianne Culbert, and HR Manager, Brittany Hanniman, detailing Mercury's many ongoing projects, with perhaps some hints about their plans for the future. This talk will take place in J102 at 11 am on Monday morning.  All are invited.

(2) The second event could be of personal interest to you, because Marianne and Brittany will conduct an open portfolio review at 2 pm in A360 a+b. The format will be similar to a personal portfolio review of your work, but with a small group of other 4th Year students allowed to watch and listen.

Bring any work you would like to include in your upcoming Graduation Portfolio (see Milestone 6 for details about the Portfolio requirement,) Mercury has kindly provided the following suggestions and advice:

a.      Start with your strongest work.
b.      Limit the amount of work included (sometimes “less is more”.)
c.      Look for “strong poses” (either in animation or life drawing.)
d.      Display creativity, design style and personality.
e.      Include significant layout/background work.
           (Mercury will speak to their needs in that department)

Reading between the lines, they want to see two things: animation with strong poses, and layouts/backgrounds. Be prepared!

If you would like your work to be reviewed please contact your Mentor and have them email me. I will arrange the schedule for Monday afternoon.

Note that Mercury Filmworks will return on Industry Day and are likely planning to conduct more focused job interviews, based on the screening of your film, at that time.

Winter Week 9 - Wed. March 12 - Brandon Scott, Justin Time, and yet another MILESTONE due

Week 9 - March 12

Lecture: The Animation Industry: Self-Promotion -  Brandon Scott (creator of Justin Time)

Workshop: General Portfolio Review - Brandon Scott

We've got a really interesting lecture and workshop this week, from one of our very own Sheridan BAA alumni, who has done very well in the Animation business since graduating in 2007.

Award-winning animator Brandon Scott is probably best known as the creator, developer and art director  of the Emmy-nominated animated TV series Justin Time. But he has many other credits to his name, including work for Guru Studios, and JibJab Media, as well as writing and illustrating several books.

Brandon is very generously spending the afternoon at Sheridan BA Animation to give you some background on what it takes to promote yourself in the animation industry, using his experience at developing and pitching his own TV Series as raw material. (S235, 11 am)

And from 2 to 4 pm he'll be in Lab A150 to review your portfolio and give you some sage advice. Bring your portfolio work on memory-stick and paper formats for an open discussion.

MILESTONE 4
2D -100% Cleaned Animation
3D -  50% Completed Animation
Stop Motion: 90% Completed Animation

Fresh from last week's screening of 100% rough animation, it's now time to clean it up, and for StopMo and 3D, to proceed at full speed on principle animation. Contact your mentor for complete details on deadline and grading.

Interested in being an Animation Tutor?

I recently received this email from a Toronto-area parent who would like to hire an animation tutor for his teenage son.  If you're interested, please contact the sender for more information.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My name is James Toccacelli.  My 13 year old son is interested in animation and game design...

Dante also has high functioning Asperberger’s Syndrome, and therefore introducing him to animation and game design via on-line education or tutorials is not a viable option.

Might you have a student who would be interested in “tutoring” Dante?  I would – of course – be willing to pay the going rate for these services.  We live near Royal York & Bloor in Etobicoke and could work here or at a location that has the necessary hardware / software, etc.

Please let me know if you have anyone in your program.  I’d suggest the following criteria but would defer to your POV:

·         Relatively far advanced in their studies (3rd or 4th year student)

·         Someone who has some experience tutoring, or working with differently-abled children

·         Geographically desirable would be nice, but not essential

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Regards,

James Toccacelli

james@toccacelli.com

Nerdtastic Podcast -- Working in Games and Animation

(from Woodbury University,  by way of Nancy Beiman)

Nerdtastic podcast (  http://www.nerdtasticin3d.com ) discussing working in games and animation.  Check out episode #89.  It's full of great information, and a lot of fun.  

Included in the podcast are:

Sean Fennell: Crowd Supervisor and Crowd Department Chair - Dreamworks Animation

Jack Geckler: Crowd Lead/Artists - Dreamworks Animation

Sean Kearny: Lead Game Designer at Disney Mobile

Josh Labrot: Layout Artist at DreamWorks Animation

Jason Pecho: Engineering Manager at Disney Mobile

It was moderated by Ross Blocher, Training Project Manager and TD at Disney Feature, and Woodbury graduate.

It was really rewarding for me to sit there and have them validate the information I have been passing on to my students.

Enjoy and share with your students.  These guys deserve an audience.

Dori

Special Guest - Animation Director Barry Saunders

Bring your 3D animation or 2D animation and have an industry expert look over your work. Barry Saunders is Animation Director for the new Inspector Gadget animated series being produced by Media DHX in Halifax.  Barry has many years experience at Nelvana before moving to Halifax for this show.

Thanks go to Michel Hannan for arranging this workshop.

When : Wed  March 5th  
Time: 2 –3:30

Where: A150

(from the DHX Media website: )

"INSPECTOR GADGET is BACK! Dr. Claw has reactivated his global crime syndicate MAD and the bumbling Swiss army knife detective has been brought out of retirement to save the world!"

http://www.dhxmedia.com/shows/animation/inspectorgadget.html

REMINDER: Screening Deadline - Monday at 8 am

I know you've all been hard at work on your films this past week, so just in case it's slipped your mind I thought it best to remind you that the deadline for next week's Leica/Animatic screening is Monday morning (March 3) at 8 am. Mario has created a special folder on the HANDIN Server specifically for the screening.

The screening itself will begin promptly at 10 am on Wednesday morning,  March 5, in SCAET S235.

Please be aware that this screening is an important part of the 4th Year curriculum and participation is  both required and graded.

Interview with Legendary Stop-Motion Animator Phil Tippet

Prof. Chris Walsh has just published an interview in the online magazine Fangoria with the legendary stop-motion animator Phil Tippet (Jurassic Park, HellBoy, Robocop, Empire Strikes Back, etc.) Tippet has a lot of interesting things to say about the joy of actually making things with your hands and the challenge of the transition to a digital workflow. Check it out at.

Phil Tippett on Experimental Stop Motion Passion, “MAD GOD”

Financial Troubles in the Visual Effects and Animation Industry

The link below is to a well-informed news item describing structural troubles in the Visual Effects/Animation industry in the USA (possibly to the advantage of the industry in Canada.) Dreamworks is mentioned for laying off 350 Visual FX workers/Animators (about halfway down.) 

Also mentioned is the planned protest by Visual FX/Animators at the coming Oscars. 


REVEALED: MPAA’s latest anti-piracy move accidentally, completely screws Hollywood studios

http://pando.com/2014/02/25/revenge-of-the-nerds-how-tech-geeks-found-a-secret-weapon-in-their-fight-against-big-hollywood/

4th Year BAA -- Week 7 - Special Events

Greetings, 4th Year BAA!

This is a big week, because in addition to the usual Guest Lecture and Workshop, there are two important events pertaining to your film production.

Animation Guest Critique
The first is the Animation Guest Critique, which takes place during your Mentor Group meeting. Every Mentor invites an Industry Guest to review and comment on your film's rough animation (2D), posing (3D) or partial animation (Stop Motion.) This is an important meeting, so please show up to your Mentor Group this week with a well prepared Leica/Pose reel.

Demo Music Delivery Deadline
The second production highlight this week applies to those of you working with a U of T Musician (roughly half the cohort.) This week is the deadline for delivery of their demo version of music. The idea is that this allows you to ensure that your musician understands the dramatic & musical requirements of your film and is developing in the right direction. Now is the time to offer comments and criticism, and to change the direction of the music if necessary. I know from speaking to several of you that you are already well into this process.

The Business of Animation - Networking
Of course we also have the Wednesday Lecture and Workshop, both of which are this week hosted by Ben McEvoy, who continues our emphasis on "The Business of Animation" with his discussion of the importance of forging friends, contacts and networks in the animation industry.


COMING UP: Week 8 Screening
After the Reading Week break we will screen the Leica/Pose Reels for the third time this year. The screening will take place in S235, 10 am Wednesday March 5. (Note that this is one hour earlier than our usual start time on Wednesday, which is necessary to allow enough time for everyone's film.)

The submission deadline is Monday March 3, 8 am. Mario will provide a special folder on the HANDIN server for this.

Note that participation in this screening is required and contributes toward your final mark for the year.

Flash Workshop - Exercise files and completed animation files

Animator Amir Avni gave a great workshop yesterday showing the quality of animation that Flash is capable of in the right hands.

Amir prepared a couple of exercise files that you might be interested in reviewing. He posed a different animation problem in each one, which I'll leave to you to figure out.  In case that proves too difficult, he also provided the solutions:


The Exercises: 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/13uvagrzdh4iml3/Phone-exercise-for-students.fla

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pnxxcuzi035qrn5/Alien-exercise-for-students.fla

The Answers:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/l9ajc9rhl43xtcs/phone-excercise-COMPLETE.fla

https://www.dropbox.com/s/s0j6ykd5hf5bncs/Alien-excercise-COMPLETE.fla

Online Music for Media - Free, Cheap & Otherwise....

I get regular inquiries from students regarding internet sites that offer free or cheap-to-license music for use in your films. Here are a few which have been useful in the past couple of years. I list them roughly in order of preference. 

PS - Please let me know if any of these links have gone dead since I put this list together last year. 

Jamendo - Jamendo has a LOT of free stuff. Try it first.

Vimeo Music Store - mostly commercial ($99 for a festival license) but also has free (Creative Commons Share-Alike License)

SoundCloud - online file locker for audio. Nice player software, and many items licensable for the asking. 

Overview | Music | Musopen - recent site with only copyright-free material. Mostly old recordings and/or government produced. 

With Etiquette - collective of alternative musicians who make their music available for low license fee. 

‎songfreedom.com - commercial stock music site

UniqueTracks Inc. - commercial stock music site, good selection, low rates ($40)

Royalty Free Music Library from premiumbeat.com - commercial stock music site

Stock Music - Royalty Free Music with an Edge - commercial stock music site

Of course, there is also the Cyclops server, where Mario and Rick Andersen maintain a library of approximately 10,000 titles of stick music, for which the college pays a flat fee each year on your behalf. 

Feel free to email me or drop into my office in A160 if you'd like to discuss further. My usual office hours are Tuesdays 3-4 pm, and Thursdays 12-2 pm. 

best

Bruno

Brass and Steel -- Music performed by the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra

This Saturday evening the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra is hosting a concert called Brass & Steel,  an evening of new music for Brass Quintet and Steel Drums. The concert includes my piece, Indica for Brass Quintet. This is one of several pieces I wrote for the Scarborough Orchestra a couple years back when I was on sabbatical from Sheridan.

The concert starts at 8 pm, and takes place at St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Anglican Church on Finch Ave.E.

Saturday - 8 p.m.
St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Anglican Church,
3333 Finch Avenue East (at Warden)


For more details: http://www.spo.ca/10-concerts/113-brass-and-steel

U of T Composers looking for more animations to score...

According to U of T TA Laura Silberberg, two composers from the U of T Film Composition course have already finished their animation projects and are looking for other projects to work on.

If anyone (not previously associated with the U of T Composing class) is interested in getting in touch with one of these musicians, please let me know.

- bruno